Insulated freight car



W. L. MORRISON INSULATED FREIGHT CAR Dec. 31, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 18, 1960 I N V EN TOR. #4101190 A J/wM/s'a/v m M 2 R Dec. 31, 1963 w. L. MORRISON INSULATED FREIGHT CAR 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 18, 1960 IN V ENTOR.

Dec. 31, 1963 w. L. MORRISON 3,115,982

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United States Patent O 3,115,982 INSULATED FREIGHT CAR Willard L. Morrison, Lake Forest, Ill., assignor to Liquefreeze Company, Inc., New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 18, 1960, Ser. No. 15,869 12 Claims. (Cl. 220-15) This invention relates to improvements in insulated freight cars and has for one object to provide an insulated freight car or other transportable vehicle which: is light, inexpensive, may be easily assembled, retains its insulating characteristics under the stress and strain of railroad or road operation and will have little if any change in insulating effectiveness under various conditions of use.

I propose to assemble an insulating body of insulating elements which can be held together yieldingly so that they may expand and contract under change in temperature and may be applied to any suitable flat bed railroad or road vehicle.

Other objects will appear from time to time through out the specification and claims.

The invention is illustrated more or less diagrammatically in the accompanying drawings, wherein- FIGURE 1 is an exploded perspective of the insula tion members;

FIGURE 2 is a perspectiveof the bridge framework encircling the insulating members;

FIGURE 3 is a side elevation of the assembled structure just before it is put in place on a railroad car frame;

FIGURE 4 is a detail section along the line 4-4 of FIGURE 3 on an enlarged scale;

FIGURE 5 is a section along the line 55 of FIG- URE 4;

FIGURE 6 is a longitudinal vertical section through the end of the vehicle;

FIGURE 7 is an exploded section similar to FIG- U-RE 5 on an enlarged scale.

- Like parts are indicated by like characters throughout the specification and drawings.

The running gear of my containerand it may be a railroad car or a road vehicle-includes a horizontal frame 1 supported on wheels 2 on which in mounted the assembled insulating receptacle. The insulating'receptacle includes a plurality of rectangular tunnel shaped elements 3. One of them is apertured fora door as at 4 and at each end is an insulating panel 5. This structure is held together in the structural frame shown in FIGURES 2 and 3. The structural frarne comprises angle floor track members 6, angle roof track members 7 and a flat floor track member 8 on the same level as the horizontal parts of the angles 6. The rectangular tunnel shaped sections 3 and the end section 5 are slid into this structural frame. The track members are held together by vertical channel frame members 9 and inclined frame members 10 so that the outer supporting frame is held together'as a rigid bridge like structure which encloses and contains the insulating body sections which'are assembled and held edge to edge as will hereinafter appear.

The tracks 6 and 8 are bolted to the car bed 1 by bolts 11 as indicated. At each end of the structure outside the plates 5 are mounted rectangular pressure frames 12in general alignment with the ends of the bridge structure. These pressure frames 12 engage the end pieces 5 and are in turn exposed to the pressure of springs 13 which are compressed between the inner frame 12 and the outer pressure frame 14, the two frames conforming in shape to one another.

Tension members 15 are for assembly removably anchored at their inner ends on the tracks 6, extend through the pressure frames 12 and 14 into removable housings 16 which enclose heavy tension springs -17 joined by nuts 18 so as to squeeze the two insulating walls 5 inwardly to compress the tunnel sections 3 edge to edge. to make a close tight insulating housing enclosed within the bridge structure.

The tunnel sections 3 and the-endwalls 5 comprise a core 19 0f dyalite or similar self-supportinginsulation.

On the outside of each tunnel section 3. and each end wall 55, they are mantled with ametal shell 20,21 onthe inside with a plywood lining 22. In the case ofthe tunnel sections 3, the mantles '20 and 22 terminate just short of thedyalitematerial so that as they are pressed together the dyalite comes in contact without contact of the mantles 20 and 22 on adjacent tunnel sections. Meta-l plate members 23 are in just above the lower metal mantles.

. The inner portions of the cores 19 are cut away as 7 indicated at'24. The plywood lining =22 is'cut away as indicated at 25 and a'fabric impregnated with Teflon.

or some other flexible material which will not become brittle at low temperatures as indicated at 26 is let into the-recess formed by the cutaway portion 24 between the ends of the cores. Resting on the plywood-lining 22 insulated area. Resting on this is a metal tread plate 29 upwardly flanged at 30 to protect this teflonized canvas liquid tight membrane. Flanges 3-1 extend downwardly overlapping the flanges 30 so that when for example, liquid nitrogen was .poured onto the material stacked in the insulated'chamber, excess nitrogen will not escape and will flow down into-the area defined by the lining.

A'sirnilar arrangement is present between the end cor 20 and the end block 5. The core is cut away as at 32 to receive a similar canvas bellows 33. A similar metal tie strip 34 interlocks between the core 19 and the end pieces 5. A metal filler strip 36 interlocks with the core 19 and the end plate 5. Y I

The tunnel members 3 are rectangular, generally cubical blocks made up of four similar dyalite panels as indicated.- The dyalite panels at right angles. to one another are glued together to form a tunnel. The steel armor on the outside-of each tunnel is cemented in place. The plywood lining is cemented in place, there being sufficient clearance Where cementing or gluing takes place to permit shrinkage of the dyalite under thermal shrinkage conditions which'will result in a generally accurate contact of the edges of the steel armor and the plywood lining. There will be clearance-between these elements as the tunnels are assembled. The bridge frame holds them in alignment and in general proper shape and dimension. When they are assembled, pressure is applied by tightening up on the springs 17, thus applyingvpressure on the springs 13 and'squeezing the tunnel sections edge to edgetogether to make avclose fit. circumstances, there is an effective insulation barrier between the heat flow between the inside and outside of the insulated container. Before or after'assembly, the bridge structure is bolted in place on the car frame. The details- Patented Dec. a1, 1963.

Under these As the contents of the car is flooded, the liquid nitrogen will' flow down over the lading, being boiled by its heat and flowing downwardly, and excess liquid nitrogen will be caught in the tefionized canvas receptacle at the bottomof the car so as to give it time for further evaporation and avoid wasting of any excess liquid though under ordinary circumstances the flow of liquid will be timed soas to avoid such excess.

Under these circumstances, the inside of the car will be very cold and the cores and the lining will all shrink because the insulation has a high K factor. The outside willnot'shrink so much and there will be some warping but that warping will be so small that as the tunnels shrink the pressure on the springs will force the sections edge to edge together to compensate to a large degree if not'entirely for such shrinkage.

The members 23011 the outside maintain a reasonably tight joint even if at one place or another the abutting edges of the tunnel sections are not held in tight contact and the canvas bellows will open and close to maintain a'completely tight liquid and'gas'tight joint, thus inhibiting leakage; When the car is emptied and the panels expand, the springs will yield to permit expansion and since the tracks 6 and 8 are smooth and uninterrupted from end to end, the tunnel section will be free to move longitudinally to compensate for this expansion and contraction and spring pressure and the total distance of such movement being only a few inches. Such compensation is entirely effective.

Since the car is approximately six feet wide and eight feet high and since separate panels are glued together to define the tunnel section, the expansion and contraction in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the car is so slight that'no harm will be done.

By this arrangement a simple, strong, light car structure is obtained wherein the insulation panels joined tog'ether to define the tunnel sections form a part of the vehicle structure supported as it is by the bridge structure and the Teflon bellows on the inside and the interlocking plates on the outside inhibit air movement into and out of the insulating area and since the dyalite is not hydro'scopic and is a tight generally waterproof panel, one of the serious diificulties in connection with conventional refrigeration, namely water saturation of the insulation, will be inhibited.

The bridge frame structure or outside skeleton supports and holds the self-supporting,' self-sustaining insulating panels together to form the car body. The cores of the panels are rigid and self-supporting but being foamed plastic or the like, must be protected. They are protected on the outside by the steel plates which give them weatherproo'fing and at the same time support against impact even though the plates are conductors but the conductors are all on the outside of the insulating material. The plywood boards cemented to the inside of the insulation panels protect them against marring or deterioration and since the plywood is a poor conductor, it assists the insulation.

While for convenience each insulating tunnel section is assembled before it is placed in the bridge form as a unit, they may if desired be separately assembled in place in the bridge frames.

I claim:

1. An insulated container including an elongate open work bridge frame which is rectangular in cross-section and having smooth tracks extending lengthwise through at least the end portions thereof, a plurality of lengthwise aligned, rectangularly shaped insulating sections in which the intermediate sections are open at both ends and which are dimensioned to be received in fitting relationship within said frame for slidable support on said tracks in lengthwise displacement in the direction towards and away from each other to define a continuous insulated tunnel therebetween when aligned in end to end abutting relationship, andmeans constantly urging the aligned rectangularly shaped insulating sections in the direction towards each other to define a continuous insulated space therebetween.

2. An insulated container as claimed in claim 1 in which the means constantly urging the aligned rectangularly shaped sections in the direction towards each other comprises resilient means whereby the rectangularly shaped sections are free to move relative to each other in the frame in response to expansion and contraction due to temperature change.

3. An insulated container including an elongate open work bridge frame which is rectangular in cross-section, smooth tracks extending lengthwise throughout the frame, end members forming a part of said frame but arranged separable and apart therefrom, a plurality of lengthwise aligned, rectangularly shaped insulating sections which are open at opposite ends and dimensioned to be received in fitting relationship within said frame for slidable support on said tracks to enable lengthwise displacement in the direction towards and away from each other to define a continuous insulated tunnel therebetween when aligned in end to end contacting relationship, insulating end walls positioned at the opposite ends of the aligned rectangular insulating sections but inwardly of the end members and dimensioned to correspond with the height and width of said sections to form an end closure when in end to end relationship with said rectangular sections, and means constantly urging the end walls and the aligned rectangular sections in the directiontowards each other to define an enclosed insulated space therebetween.

4. An insulated container as claimed in claim 3 in which the means constantly urging the end walls and the aligned rectangular sections in the direction towards each other comprises a resilient means whereby said elements are free to move endwise relative to each other in response to expansion and contraction without loss of their contacting relationship.

5. An insulated container including an elongate open work bridge frame which is rectangular in cross-section, smooth tracks extending lengthwise throughout the frame, end members forming a part of said frame but arranged separable and apart therefrom, a plurality of lengthwise aligned, rectangularly shaped insulating sections which are open at opposite ends and dimensioned to be received in fitting relationship within said frame for slidable support on said tracks to enable lengthwise displacement in the direction towards and away from each other to define a continuous insulated tunnel therebetween when aligned in end to end contracting relationship, insulating end walls positioned at the opposite ends of the aligned rectangular insulating sections but inwardly of the end members and dimensioned to correspond with the height and width of said sections to form an end closure when in end to end relationship with said rectangular sections, and means constantly urging the end members in the direction towards each other lengthwise of the frame for operative engagement constantly to urge the aligned rectangular insulating sections into contacting end to end relationship to define a continuous insulated space therebetween.

6. An insulated container as claimed in claim 5 in which the means constantly urging the end members in the direction towards each other comprises a resilient means whereby the elements are free to move lengthwise relative to each other in response to expansion and contraction without destroying their contacting relationship.

7. An insulated container including an elongate open work bridge frame which is rectangular in cross-section and having smooth tracks extending lengthwise through at least the end portions thereof, a plurality of lengthwise aligned, rectangularly shaped insulating sections in which the intermediate sections are open at both ends and which are dimensioned to be received in fitting relationship within said frame for slidable support on said tracks in lengthwise displacement in the direction towards and away from each other to define a continuous insulated tunnel therebetween when aligned in end to end abutting relationship, means constantly urging the aligned rectangularly shaped insulating sections in the direction towards each other to define a continuous insulated space therebetween, and a flexible bellows packing between each of said rectangular insulating sections in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the frame to maintain a sealed relationship between said sections while permitting the sections to be free for expansion and contraction due to temperature change.

8. An insulated container including an elongate open work bridge frame which is rectangular in cross-section and having smooth tracks extending lengthwise through at least the end portions thereof, a plurality of lengthwise aligned, rectangularly shaped insulating sections in which the intermediate sections are open at both ends and which are dimensioned to be received in fitting relationship within said frame for slidable support on said tracks in lengthwise displacement in the direction towards and away from each other to define a continuous insulated tunnel therebetween when aligned in end to end abutting relationship, means constantly urging the aligned rectangularly shaped insulating sections in the direction towards each other to define a continuous insulated space therebetween, and a sealing plate extending lengthwise between the adjacent ends of adjacent pairs of rectangularly shaped insulating sections to maintain an operative connection therebetween while permitting freedom for relative movements between said sections.

9. An insulated container including an elongate open work bridge frame which is rectangular in cross-section and having smooth tracks extending lengthwise through at least the end portions thereof, a plurality of lengthwise aligned, rectangularly shaped insulating sections in which the intermediate sections are open at both ends and which are dimensioned to be received in fitting relationship within said frame for slidable support on said tracks in lengthwise displacement in the direction towards and away from each other to define a continuous insulated tunnel therebetween when aligned in end to end abutting relationship, means constantly urging the aligned rectangularly shaped insulating sections in the direction towards each other to define a continuous insulated space therebetween, and a metal weatherproof armor sheet permanently bonded to define an outer wall for each of the rectangularly shaped insulating sections.

10. An insulated container including an elongate open work bridge frame which is rectangular in cross-section, smooth tracks extending lengthwise throughout the frame, end members forming a part of said frame but arranged separable and apart therefrom, a plurality of lengthwise aligned, rectangularly shaped insulating sections which are open at opposite ends and dimensioned to be received in fitting relationship within said frame for slidable support on said tracks to enable lengthwise displacement in the direction towards and away from each other to define a continuous insulated tunnel therebetween when aligned in end to end contacting relationship, insulating end walls positioned at the opposite ends of the aligned rectangular insulating sections but inwardly of the end members and dimensioned to correspond with the height and width of said sections to form an end closure when in end to end relationship with said rectangular sections, means constantly urging the end walls and the aligned rectangular sections in the direction towards each other to define an enclosed insulated space therebetween, and a metal weatherproof armor sheet permanently attached to the outer surface of each of the rectangularly shaped insulating sections.

11. An insulated container including an elongate open work bridge frame which is rectangular in cross-section and having smooth tracks extending lengthwise through at least the end portions thereof, a plurality of lengthwise aligned, rectangularly shaped insulating sections in which the intermediate sections are open at both ends and which are dimensioned to be received in fitting relationship with in said frame for slidable support on said tracks in lengthwise displacement in the direction towards and away from each other to define a continuous insulated tunnel therebetween when aligned in end to end abutting relationship, means constantly urging the aligned rectangularly shaped insulating sections in the direction towards each other to define a continuous insulated space therebetween, and a plywood lining permanently attached to the inner face of each of the rectangularly shaped insulating sections.

12. An insulated container as claimed in claim 1 in which the means constantly urging the aligned rectangularly shaped insulating sections in a direction towards each other comprises a plurality of springs in operative engagement with the end of the outermost of the rectangularly shaped sections and means for adjusting said springs to vary the tension in the lengthwise direction for urging the sections in the direction towards each other.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 447,687 Horn et a1. Mar. 3, 1891 2,063,033 Fitch Dec. 8, 1936 2,170,637 Hatch et a1 Aug. 22, 1939 2,889,953 Morrison June 9, 1959 2,911,125 Dosker Nov. 3, 1959 2,954,892 Dosker Oct. 4, 1960 

1. AN INSULATED CONTAINER INCLUDING AN ELONGATE OPEN WORK BRIDGE FRAME WHICH IS RECTANGULAR IN CROSS-SECTION AND HAVING SMOOTH TRACKS EXTENDING LENGTHWISE THROUGH AT LEAST THE END PORTIONS THEREOF, A PLURALITY OF LENGTHWISE ALIGNED, RECTANGULARLY SHAPED INSULATING SECTIONS IN WHICH THE INTERMEDIATE SECTIONS ARE OPEN AT BOTH ENDS AND WHICH ARE DIMENSIONED TO BE RECEIVED IN FITTING RELATIONSHIP WITHIN SAID FRAME FOR SLIDABLE SUPPORT ON SAID TRACKS IN LENGTHWISE DISPLACEMENT IN THE DIRECTION TOWARDS AND AWAY FROM EACH OTHER TO DEFINE A CONTINUOUS INSULATED TUNNEL THEREBETWEEN WHEN ALIGNED IN END TO END ABUTTING RELATIONSHIP, AND MEANS CONSTANTLY URGING THE ALIGNED RECTANGULARLY SHAPED INSULATING SECTIONS IN THE DIRECTION TOWARDS EACH OTHER TO DEFINE A CONTINUOUS INSULATED SPACE THEREBETWEEN. 